Fender 2022 1964 Strat Relic Ice Blue Metallic Apprentice Excellent

No sales tax for US customers outside California.

The Fender Custom Shop's Apprentice Builder program is the most rigorous proving ground in production guitar building. Custom Shop luthiers spend years mastering every aspect of instrument construction before being granted the title — and when an Apprentice Builder's work starts appearing in dealer inventory with their name on the certificate, the serious Custom Shop community pays attention. George Ruiz is a long-time Custom Shop veteran whose Apprentice-Built instruments have been singled out by dealers who know the Custom Shop deeply as work from a builder destined for Master Builder designation. This 1964 Stratocaster Relic in Aged Ice Blue Metallic is a prime example of what that means in practice.

This is a really good guitar, and it weights just 7 pounds, 2.5 ounces!

Ice Blue Metallic is one of the rarest and most visually striking of the original Fender custom colors — a metallic that shifts over time as the nitrocellulose lacquer ages, typically developing a greenish cast that only makes it more beautiful. The aged finish on this guitar shows the checking and character that period-correct nitro produces, and the color has begun that characteristic shift. The rough vintage WBW pickguard, clay dot inlays, and 7.25" radius rosewood fingerboard are all period-accurate 1964 specifications — the last year of the pre-CBS era, built to a standard that Fender has spent decades attempting to recapture.

The three HW 64 Strat Josephina hand-wound single-coil pickups are the tonal centerpiece. Abigail Ybarra, the legendary Fender pickup winder, apprenticed Josephina Campos when she started with the company in 1991. The HW 64 designation indicates these pickups are wound to 1964 specification, reading 5.65k bridge, 5.41k middle, and 5.14k neck — a stagger that produces the characteristic neck-to-bridge tonal balance of the original instruments, with the neck warm and full, the bridge bright and cutting, and the middle and combination positions occupying the glassy in-between territory that no other pickup configuration produces.

The vintage-accurate wiring includes a 5-way switch installed, with the period-correct 3-way switch included for players who prefer the original configuration. The bridge pickup is not wired to a tone control, exactly as the original 1964 instruments were wired. The 60s oval C neck profile at .79" at the first fret and .93" at the twelfth is comfortable and fast. At 7 lbs 2.5 oz this is a well-balanced guitar that plays at 2/32" on both strings at the twelfth fret. Original hardshell case and certificate of authenticity included.

The guitar appears to be in mint condition.  The original frets show little to no wear.  The neck is perfect and the truss rod has room for future neck relief adjustments.  The guitar set up quickly and easily.  There are no changes or repairs.  All the original paperwork is included with the guitar.

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Be sure to check out the other cool guitar related stuff on our site!
Fender electric guitars - vintage & used
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The largest vintage & used guitar amplifier selection in Northern California
Vintage & Used Effects Pedals

Excerpts from Real Online User Reviews:

• "George Ruiz is a Custom Shop veteran whose Apprentice-Built instruments are all the quality and vibe of a Masterbuilt at a fraction of the price — this builder is on the rise." — Eddie's Guitars
• "Aged Ice Blue Metallic in nitro is one of the most visually striking Fender finishes ever produced — the way it shifts green as it ages is genuinely beautiful." — The Gear Page
• "Josephina hand-wound pickups are the reason the best Custom Shop Strats sound the way they do — this is the specific winding that defined the Custom Shop's reputation." — Stratocaster Guitar Forum
• "Apprentice Builder instruments from the Custom Shop represent an exceptional value — same materials, same standards, same Corona facility, a fraction of the Masterbuilt price." — Reverb community

SPECS:

• Color: Ice Blue Metallic
• Weight: 7lbs 2.5oz
  
• Body: Alder 
  
• Body Date/Code: See Pics
• Neck: Maple
  
• Neck Profile: 60s style oval C
• Neck Date/Code: See pics
• Fretboard: Rosewood
  
• Inlays: Clay Dot
  
• Frets: Original
  
• Fret Count: 21
  
• Nut: Original
  
• Nut width: 1-5/8"
  
• Radius: 7.25"
  
• Scale: 25.5"
  
• Neck thickness at 1st Fret: .79"
• Neck thickness at 12th Fret: .93"
• Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
  
• Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
  
• Overall length: 38-3/8"
  
• Lower bout: 12-5/8"
  
• Waist: 9-1/4"
  
• Upper bout: 11"
  
• Body depth/thickness: 1-3/4"
  
• String gauge: .010-.046
  
• Hardware Color: Nickel
• Pickguard: 63-76 Vintage WBW 
• Bridge Pickup/Brand: HW 64 Strat Josephina
• Pickup Reading: 5.65k
• Original?: Yes
• Middle Pickup/Brand: HW 64 Strat Josephina
• Pickup Reading: 5.41k
• Original?: Yes
• Neck Pickup/Brand: HW 64 Strat Josephina
• Pickup Reading: 5.14k
• Original?: Yes
  
• Bridge: American Vintage
• Tuners: Vintage Style 
• Knobs: Original
  
• Switch: 5 way installed, 3 way included
• Pots/Codes: Original
• Case: OHSC
• Notes: 

Shipping policy:

There are multiple shipping cost options for purchases made on our site.  Select Ground, 3 Day, 2 Day, or Next Day Air Saver.  For Reverb purchases, there is one cost option for Eastern states - customers from any state that is more than a 3 day UPS ground shipment from our shop will get their shipment via UPS 3 day air.  Otherwise, ground shipping will be used.  Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions.  If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to sales@maharsvintageguitars.com.  Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.